Availability of 8.3% Bleach Is Nil

[swimdaddy]

In years passed, used 8% cleaning bleach from Walmart, but they stopped carrying that so went to the 10% "chlorinating liquid", but it seems our local store orders at the beginning of the season and when it runs out, its gone, and they won't order anymore.

[Palmyra]

In years passed, used 8% cleaning bleach from Walmart, but they stopped carrying that so went to the 10% "chlorinating liquid", but it seems our local store orders at the beginning of the season and when it runs out, its gone, and they won't order anymore.

This is very similar to our experience. Our local Walmart usually has 10% "chlorinating liquid" left at the end of the season and they carry it over until the following spring. Some of it can get pretty old, before anybody takes it....

[PoolDoc]

So long as it is stored INSIDE the store (below 80 deg F), it should be fine.

I looked at the bottle I have; how did you decode the date?

[Palmyra]

So long as it is stored INSIDE the store (below 80 deg F), it should be fine.

I looked at the bottle I have; how did you decode the date?

The Walmart Great Value bleach has a format of 18 219 13:40 S2 CA-01 so it is [20]18 219[th day] or Aug 7th... ie. (08-07-2018). I suspect (13:40) is military time, but I have no idea what the (S2 CA-01) means.

I don't have any of the 10% chlorine, so I can't check that, but it will be a similar scheme.

As for calculating the half-life of chlorine bleach, due to age and storage conditions, I think ChemGeek had a spreadsheet on the web, somewhere.... (My recollection is that at about 80° F the half life is about 6 months, but I stand to be corrected.)

[PoolDoc]

1. I can decode the bit you can't: the CA-01 is a code for the state and plant where the bleach was produced. I'm not sure what the "S2" is. I'm really surprised you've got California bleach. Mine is coded "FL-01" for Florida, probably the big Allied Universal plant there. I used to buy tanker loads of bleach from them, though from their Georgia plant.

2. Bleach half-life is much more complicated than that. Many makers have switched to high-purity manufacturing units, so they can make bleach that's stable, and won't turn brown. Bleach made with very low contaminating metal ions has a longer life than Chem Geek reported. Here's a link: https://www.powellfab.com/sales_pdfs...er_profits.pdf